It is well known that software is not purchased, but only licensed for use. Software, unlike manufactured products, can be freely copied and distributed. Hence, software providers are largely limited in their choice of control means. Unfortunately, a software license is merely a legal mechanism, and can not literally prevent illicit copying of proprietary software.
A typical software license grants a permit to use the licensed software application on a particular machine and, perhaps, the generation of backup copies for personal use. A software license provides a software provider with a legal instrument against impermissible use of licensed software. However there remains no effective mechanism for preventing or monitoring illicit copying or illegal proliferation in the first place. Hence, software providers must rely on the public to not pirate software, and rely on their licensees to abstain from furnishing copies of software to friends or others.
Software sold for use in a commercial or institutional setting is frequently licensed for a predefined period of time. When such software is used on desktop computers, such computers are typically networked. The networked computers are usually connected to a file server, which the file server may itself be tended by a computer management system that monitors and controls various file server groups. The file server computers act as a central location at which the desktop computers in the file server group can access files and applications. The file server also may facilitate the control of licensed software on the desktop computers. This occurs in the situation where the commercial software license is a so-called “floating license.”
Commercial software licenses for operating a plurality of desktop computers normally are of two varieties: “fixed” or “floating.” A fixed license permits a software application to run on certain designated computers (e.g., computer numbers one through five, in a ten computer file server group, are designated for the licensed software application). A floating license permits a certain number of applications to run on any number of computers at a given time. So an application operating under a floating license may be allowed to simultaneously run on no more than ten of twenty computers in a network at any given time. Licensing management software is maintained in the network file server to monitor the number of floating licenses being used.
A significant amount of software piracy occurs in commercial settings. Commercial licensees are usually vigilant about license compliance. However, even the most attentive MIS (Management Information Systems) manager cannot prevent employees from copying software off of one computer for use on other computers on the network. As a result of illicit copying, software providers must adjust their prices, forcing legitimate buyers to pay higher prices to offset revenue losses.
MIS managers often want to know whether various software is installed/used on various machines not only for license compliance, but also for cost-cutting purposes. For example, if applications with a “floating” license are installed on a first set of computers but are unused, such “floating” license-applications may be moved to another set of computers requiring such applications or terminated. In any case, the number of required licenses is reduced, thus reducing costs.
Unfortunately, ascertaining the information required to perform the foregoing analysis is cumbersome if not impossible.